, 1887-10-04
TIE BURNT CHESTNUT.

runway" said Maj. Silas Haight, known
all over the commonwealth as "the Lone
Fisherman of Kettle Creek" ''This Is
the fav rite spot for deer hunters an it's
known fur an neal ez Burnt Chestnut
runway, though tn hain't no more sign
of a burnt chestnut hore nav thin tn is
on that fiat rock yonder. Right whar
yon second growth pine is %standin', not
an inch to the left nor to the right, is jist
whar the. oil burnt chestnut stood th't
give this runway its name, years an
years ago, an it'll be the oil Burnt Ches'-
nut runway az long or there a hunter left
to come here an stan an take his
chances fer deer.
"Ol Burnt Chestnut I'd jist like to
hey some O. the oil times over ag'in th't
Two had on this blame nigh played out
mountainl Wen 1 look back at 'em 1
get bumsick all through, an ez lonesome
ez a widdered turtle dove. TIL hain't
nothin' nor nobody no more, sonny, an
that's a fact. That is, not to speak on.
Therz one or two o. the oil boys left yit, an
wunst in a vile they manage to strike
out here an p'tend they're ketchin'
fish, an play at huntin' deer. But tn
was a hull nest of us In the rippin' an
tearin' oil times, an we run the town
ship. for its leadin' citizens in them days
was deer an bar an painters. Some o.
the oil boys d git keerless now an then,
a let a bar ketch a hiplock on 'em, or
give a panther too much rope, an 80
they gradually got chewed up an pulled
in two. Thar were Peto Muffer, come
to think on it. He got missed one fall
an didn't never show up with the boys
ag'in. He were a fault indin' sort o.
chap, Peto were, an allaE KEEP a jawin'
cause tn want nothin' in the woods
with tacklin' any more, an he got up
an swore, reg lar ev'ry fall, th't he'd
never be happy till ho could git some'rs
whar he could rassel tigers or sumpin' o.
that kind th't were wuth tncklin' an
were likely TO stan some show with him.
So wen Pete didn't turn up no more,
we s'posed, O. course, he had along his
rifle on his shoulder an pulled out for
some deeStrio' or other whar tigers was
roamin' about an roarin' for somebody
to come and give 'em some lessons in
rough an tumbles. We had pooty nigh
forgot all about Pete, but the mex spring
arter he'd cut sticks, ez we s'posed, Jim
Barmer slugged a big bar over thong
Persimmen Holler one day. TIL want
nuthin' differ'nt bout that bar from
any other bar, 'cept th't wen Jim
dressed it he un'arthed a big tin terbacker
box in its innards. The box was battered
an stained an showed hare times gin
orally, but tn want no mistakin' O. 1t.
Ev'ry body reo'nized it as Peter Muffer's,
an that's all tn were left O. him. The
rest O. him had naturally disappeared,
but tn hain't no b'ar as ever stole q pig
ez kin digest q tin terbacker box, sure.
Then thar were Gobe Ransom. COBB
want rash, g~iner'ly speakin', but one
nice day in the fall he bit off q leetle
more'n he could chaw wen he tried to
git away with three painters at one time
right over yonder in the Goose Medder
woods, Not e'zac'ly that, nuther, fer he
did git away with EN-, but the trouble
WERE, he didn't GIT away from 'em.
Wen we run ag'in CODE the mex day he
were layin' on top O. n O. the biggest
painters / ever SEQ. CODES left hand
were clutched on its throat, an his
t'other hand were tight aroun' the han
die of his huutin' knife an the blade O.
the knife were up to the hilt in the paint
sr's heart. on to one side laid two more
big painters. both deader'n the Pilgrim
fathers. So were the painter CODE were
layin' on. So were CODE an tn want
much left O. him, nuther.
An thar were tough an game josh
Patten. That poor Teller grieved himself
to death, say some, as measles is ketchin'.
josh stepped inter one O. his own bar
traps one day an thar he was. The
jaws o the trap held him tighter thin q
wise, 'twi1t the knee an the ankle. TIL
want no use o his tryin' to git out an
so he sot down to grin an bear it, hopin'
th't some o us mowt stumble along that
way an help him loose. He were thar
In the iron jaws O. that trap fer a day an
q night an nobody showed up to give
him a lift. Seeing th't the chances war
hit he'd hef to starve in the trap 'nless
some kind hearted bar should com
along and chaw him, josh sot to
an prayed for bar. A big un kim
snufin' an growlin' to'ards the trap
mex day, but it seemed to reco'nize Jesh
an were feared to tackle him. Jesh
c t'ally coaxed bruin, with tears a stream
in down his cheeks, TO pitch in an rouse
him an let him die like a white man, but
the bar turned tail and dug fer the swamp.
Then josh swore th't he wouldn't starve,
but would die game; an so he drawed
his huntin' knife to slash it cross his
wizzen pipe, WEI all Of q student an idec
hit him in the conk. 'Ste'd o. splittin'
his wizzen pipe, josh just onj'inted his
leg at the knee an crawlod to his cabin
two miles away. Two OF three o. US boys
had happened together thar that mornin'
not KNOWN thNt josh were missin'. He
come a crawlin' in vile they were thar,
an they took charge OF him an done him
up In shape. He soon pulled through,
but he couldn't git over the ides o. bsin'